Socioeconomic and gender group differences in early literacy skills: a multiple-group confirmatory factor analysis approach
Socioeconomic status and gender are important demographic variables that strongly relate to academic achievement. This study examined the early literacy skills differences between 4 sociodemographic groups, namely, boys ineligible for free or reduced-price lunch (FRL), girls ineligible for FRL, b...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Routledge
2015
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/10299/ http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/10299/1/2015SESgender_EducationResearchandEval_LeeAlOtaiba.pdf |
| Summary: | Socioeconomic status and gender are important demographic variables that strongly
relate to academic achievement. This study examined the early literacy skills
differences between 4 sociodemographic groups, namely, boys ineligible for free or
reduced-price lunch (FRL), girls ineligible for FRL, boys eligible for FRL, and girls
eligible for FRL. Data on kindergarteners (N = 462) were analysed using multiplegroup
confirmatory factory analysis. Early literacy skill differences between boys and
girls are more nuanced than previously reported; subsidy status and gender interact.
Both boys and girls from high-poverty households performed significantly lower than
the girls from low-poverty households in alphabet knowledge, phonological
awareness, and spelling. There were gender gaps, with a female advantage, among
children from high-poverty households in alphabet knowledge and spelling and
among children from low-poverty households in alphabet knowledge. These results
highlight the importance of employing methodologically sound techniques to
ascertain group differences in componential early literacy skills. |
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